The present invention relates in general to filter devices and more particularly relates to a new fluid filter device comprised of a outer filtering element and an inner filtering element, both filtering elements having slots of preselected width. More particularly, the present invention is directed toward a filter device for a wastewater treatment system, namely wastewater treatment facilities such as septic tanks, wherein the filter is comprised of an inner filter and an outer filter.
A wide variety of filter devices for use in wastewater treatment systems are well known in the prior art, such as the filter disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,357. These teachings provide for a filter element wherein the filter is inserted into a tubular casing and is comprised of a cylindrical filtering sleeve having slots formed therein of a predetermined width. The filter is designed for removal from the casing for cleaning and the like. Other filtering devices for similar purposes include stacked disc-dam filter elements as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,900,084 and 3,332,552. These references teach filter elements having effective removal characteristics for solid matter from fluids, particularly for treatment of sewage in septic tanks and for removal of other solid matter from liquids in wastewater treatment facilities.
All of these prior art filter devices are problematic in that they require complete removal of the filtering device from the casing for proper cleaning of the filtering mechanism. Further, only a single filtering screen is provided within these designs for filtering of the wastewater to be treated. There is also no mechanism to automatically clean the internal portions of the filtering mechanism for regular cleaning and maintenance.
It is therefor an object of the present invention to provide a solution to the above mentioned problems. The present invention relates in general to a filter device for waste water treatment systems and more particularly relates to an improved slotted filter element wherein a first filtering element is placed into the interior portion of a second filtering element and may extend downward therefrom.
One object of the present invention is to provide a filter device which allows streamlined fluid flow and improved overall performance of the wastewater treatment filtering system while also reducing the costs of the assembly relative to the cost of other types of filters.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a filtering system with increased filtering capacity in similar volume of space as other commercially available filters while also significantly reducing both assembly costs and material costs.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a filtering system wherein removal of the interior filter will automatically clean the exterior sleeve filter.
All of the above mentioned objectives are met by the two-piece filter device for wastewater treatment systems of the present invention.
In general, the present invention provides for a two-piece wastewater treatment system and particularly a two-piece filtering system for insertion into septic tanks and other wastewater treatment devices. The two-piece wastewater treatment system of the present invention is comprised of a filter sleeve which is inserted into a casing set within a septic tank or like device and which receives a primary filter therein. Both the filtering sleeve and the primary filter may be cylindrical in design and may include therein a plurality of predefined slots in the tubular walls. Both the outer filter sleeve and the internal primary filter extend downward into the tubular or cylindrical casing and the predetermined slots extend all the way through the sidewalls of both filters. Both the primary filter and the filter sleeve have open bottom portions which allows the fluid within the septic tank or other device to flow upward and then outward through the predetermined and pre-sized slots and into an outlet in the casing.
Both of the primary filter and the sleeve filter extend downward into the tubular casing and have seals extending outward therefrom for sealing their cylindrical sidewall at a predetermined location with the sidewall of the tubular casing. By placing the outwardly extending seals at the lower periphery of both the interior primary filter and the exterior sleeve filter, the fluid to be treated is forced upward through the interior of the primary filter and then flows outward through its sidewall via the predefined slots and then through the sidewall of the filtering sleeve and its predetermined and presized slots into the tubular casing outlet opening.
The two-piece wastewater treatment system of the present invention allows for the primary filter to be removed from the sleeve filter, the sleeve filter retained within the tubular casing. Upon removal of the outwardly extending annular seal of the primary filter, may be designed such that, as the primary filter is removed from the cylindrical filtering sleeve, the internal sidewall of the filtering sleeve is cleaned by the outwardly extending annular seal of the primary filter. Further, upon removal of the primary filter, the sleeve filter remains and the wastewater remains filtered and no unfiltered fluid will be allowed to enter into the outlet opening of the tubular casing.
Arrangements within the scope of the present invention provide further advantages in that the filter element can be easily installed into standard size pipe used in plumbing so the filter element can be retrofitted into existing facilities without substantial modification of the treatment facilities.
Examples of arrangements within the scope of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described hereinafter but it will be understood that neither the drawings nor the descriptions thereof are presented by way of limitation and that other arrangements also within the scope of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure set forth herein.